PRESIDENTIAL Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino promised to lobby for the inclusion of Negros Island Region (NIR) in the 2017 appropriation of the national government.
Dino was in Negros Occidental yesterday for a consultative meeting with Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and some mayors at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City.
Dino said he visited the province to listen to the concerns of the chief executives and to tell them what our office is all about, which is to bridge the gap between Malacañang and Visayas.
“With me coming over (here) is like bringing Malacañang to Bacolod,” he added.
Among the concerns raised by local officials was the non-inclusion of NIR in the budget next year.
“We can revive (the budget). That’s the concern, especially of the governor,” Dino said.
He said he would talk to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez “to clarify” the matter.
“I want to get to the bottom of it. Are we going to give a budget or not?” he said.
He pointed out that President Rodrigo Duterte is “very pro-poor,” adding that “if we need a budget here, why don’t we give a budget?”
“Even a meager budget is enough. The governor said that meager budget is fine as long as there is a budget,” Dino said.
NIR is seeking a P42-billion budget next year.
Marañon and Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo had also been lobbying for the region’s inclusion in the national budget.
Both governors have already met with Duterte about the budget, as they remained hopeful that the president would still change his mind on the NIR funding.
They also met with Diokno but the meeting did not yield a positive result, which prompted the two Negros governors to seek another meeting with the president.
‘No politics’
Dino vowed the administration would not play party politics when it comes to delivering services to the public.
“I remember the marching orders of the President. Visit the poorest of the poor and that is Samar. He mentioned that he lost in Samar (in the May 9 elections), but take care of Samar. Same here in Negros,” he said.
“I never ask what are their party or affiliation or who have they supported in the last election. I didn’t ask because I don’t want to ask and I don’t need to know. As long as the project is good for the people then we go for it,” Dino pointed out.
He said that he told the officials here to give him two to three weeks to answer their concerns.
Asked if he would still push through with the project proposals – expansion of airport and establishment of NIR regional center – of the previous administration.
“I will look into that. If good for the common people, definitely I would push for it. Like the extension of airport, the terminal here is going to burst already. We also need to focus on the terminal as well,” Dino said.